The Land Is Calling: Last-Minute Recruitment Before the First of the Lunar Month

Applications are now open for the third cohort, for both interns and host farms.

If you are interested in ecological agriculture and want to learn the knowledge and skills of farming, or if you care about agricultural issues and wish to explore the possibilities of environmentally friendly, sustainable rural development through hands-on experience, you are warmly invited to apply for the third cohort of the Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme!

If you run a farm and would like to host interns, you are equally welcome to apply to become a farm mentor. Details on how to apply are at the foot of this page.

If you simply want to learn more about ecological agriculture techniques, you are welcome to take part in Foodthink’s survey of technology needs in ecological agriculture.

Before you apply, let us take a look at what the second-cohort interns experienced over the past year.

Some interns left the city for rural life and discovered that “a farm is like a big family” and that they had “met so many wonderful people—I don’t know where else I could find such a paradise.” One intern, working at a farm that had once hosted actors Hu Ge and Liu Tao, tried her hardest to sell the melons, and when they simply wouldn’t sell she achieved true watermelon freedom. Others made coffee in a shipping container in sweltering heat, repeatedly reminding visitors to sort their rubbish, led study-tour groups while keeping an eye on the children, went hiking and camping in the desert, and talked the whole night through around the bonfire.

The friendships forged through ecological agriculture will keep nourishing them for years to come.

Some interns truly put their hands in the soil and their backs to the sky, shattering any romantic notions about farming, coming to understand how hard a farmer’s life truly is, and emerging with an even firmer resolve to pursue ecological agriculture.

Some interns came away from the experience with a whole string of reflections on ecological agriculture:

“The environmental damage and inequality caused by agriculture are problems embedded in wider social structures—politics, economics, education, history, culture. As an individual, how should we understand and respond to such a complex predicament?”

“In modern society you simply cannot survive on farming alone; you also need to get marketing and service right. But how exactly do you go about that?”

The host farms have also spoken highly of the internship programme.

“From being afraid of a single flea to rolling around on the grass; from being scared of mice and crying at the sight of a snake to feeling brave enough to stay up on the hillside without our company; from refusing to cook to being put in charge of a week’s worth of meals in rotation … through all the sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami, through joy and sorrow, anger and grief, worry and fear—I think they tasted it all!”—Yan Ping, Xingfu Guo Baicao Yuan, Guigang, Guangxi

“Every intern has a genuine passion for ecological agriculture. They throw themselves into the work earnestly and reflect with heart. They may not always excel at the specific physical tasks, and sometimes confusion sets in, but I believe any intern who has been through this placement will come away with a truly special life experience, and a far more direct understanding of ecological agriculture, the countryside, and the family farm.”—Tang Liang, Liangliang Farm, Chengdu, Sichuan

What do the farms and farm mentors offer?

• Hands-on learning and professional guidance: Based on the intern’s interests and the farm’s actual needs, guidance is provided in areas such as cultivation techniques, machinery operation, marketing and farm management. Interns can take part in a diverse range of tasks—planting, marketing, hosting farm events, day-to-day maintenance—experiencing farm life first-hand while learning the techniques and management of ecological agriculture.
• Research and innovation: The chance to get involved in farm research projects such as soil improvement, heritage variety conservation and biodiversity studies, as well as in the design and organisation of the farm’s nature-education study tours.
• Community engagement: The chance to take part in the farm’s interaction with the local community, through activities such as cooperative operations, and to learn how agriculture can play a role within rural communities.
• Personal growth: Building up agricultural experience, improving practical life skills, learning to be more self-sufficient in a rural setting, and making friends from a wide range of fields and backgrounds.

What We Expect of Interns

• Have at least 3 months to step away from other work and fully dedicate yourself to life on the farm, committing a minimum of 5 days per week;
• Take part in the biweekly online co-learning sessions and actively engage in day-to-day intern community exchanges;
• Have an open mind and a willingness to learn from nature and from farmers;
• Be hardworking and resilient, ready to take on physical labour on the farm and assist with other tasks;
• Keep a thorough record of your internship and submit a summary at its conclusion.

Internship Duration

Host Farm Recruitment

Most of the farm mentors who took part in the 2022 and 2023 farm internship programmes are keen to welcome interns again. All of these farms put ecological agriculture’s production principles into practice, and although each has a different focus, they have all built up valuable experience in farm management, production techniques, operations and marketing. We also welcome more farms to join us.

If your ecological farm has been growing for a while and you would like to take in fresh blood, add energy and help young people develop, please scan the QR code at the end of this article to apply to host an intern. We will follow up with you to discuss details and, after a site visit, decide whether to recommend your farm as a host site.

The farms already participating in the internship programme are:

01 Yinlin Ecological Farm Guangzhou · Conghua

Yinlin Farm was established in 2009 and covers more than 70 mu (approximately 4.7 hectares). It began practising ecological cultivation in 2013. The farm focuses mainly on vegetable production, following the rhythms of nature. Beyond avoiding pesticides, chemical fertilisers and herbicides, it has consistently produced in ways that are kind to soil, environment and people, adopting self-produced compost and grass-retention cultivation to improve the farm’s soil and biodiversity. By steadily deepening its scientific understanding of ecological agriculture, Yinlin Farm has gradually built up its own cultivation-technique system.

E c o l o g i c a l F a r m M e n t o r |G u o R u i

Guo Rui graduated in 2005 from South China Agricultural University with a degree in biotechnology. He returned to his hometown to start a farm in 2009 and began practising ecological cultivation in 2013. Along the way he completed training courses in Natural Farming, biodynamic farming and soil improvement, and he continues to study and refine ecological cultivation techniques. His wish is for the farm to provide his family with a comfortable life, his children a happy environment in which to grow, and consumers with safe, healthy and nutritious food.

 

 

 

What we hope for in an intern: We hope more young people will understand and take part in ecological agriculture. The farm needs young people to contribute to cultivation management, record-keeping, marketing and promotion, and ultimately to join in running the farm—ecological agriculture needs a new generation. We are looking for someone with an interest in ecological agriculture or healthy living, willing to invest time in learning, self-disciplined, handy with their hands, and respectful of older farmers.

Work an intern can take part in at the farm: Cultivation; marketing (publicity); farm events (guest reception);

Guidance the farm can offer an intern: Ecological agriculture cultivation techniques, machinery operation, farm management, marketing and more.

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02 Letian Bay Farm Shanghai · Fengxian

Letian Bay Farm covers 86 mu (approximately 5.7 hectares), of which over 40 mu is woodland and over 20 mu is cultivated land, with the remainder devoted to shared spaces. The farm was established in April 2020. It promotes a rural lifestyle of “five days in the city, two on the farm,” with city-dwellers renting plots as its main business, alongside courses in farming education, nature experiences and handicrafts. Each member’s plot grows approximately 60 varieties of seasonal vegetables over the year, using traditional farming methods throughout—no pesticides, chemical fertilisers or other synthetic agents—and cultivating with organic fertiliser, biopesticides and other organic inputs.

E c o l o g i c a l F a r m M e n t o r |Y u a n Q i n h u a

Yuan Qinghua holds a master’s degree from Renmin University of China. Since 2003 she has worked alongside Professor Wen Tiejun on rural development in China. She has served as general manager of Little Donkey Community Farm and Design Harvest, and as operations director of Chuangzhi Farm; she is currently general manager of Letian Bay Farm. In 2008 she studied Natural Farming under the Korean practitioner Cho Han-gyue, and in 2010 she obtained a permaculture certification course certificate from Jef Janssens in Hong Kong. In 2019 she received a natural education certification from Cornell University. From 2009 to 2010 she spent a year learning organic cultivation within the Rice God system in Thailand.

 

 

What we hope for in an intern: We hope young people will bring fresh blood and new energy to the farm, contribute creative ideas to farm development, help diversify event content and keep our programme of offerings fresh and well-rounded, and make bold experiments with various self-media channels to broaden the farm’s outreach. We are looking for someone with a grounded heart and hard-working hands, able to adapt to the rhythm of farm life and work. During the placement, interns are expected to follow the farm’s rules. We also hope you will be an active learner, so that what you pick up on the farm can serve you well.

Work an intern can take part in at the farm:

1. Cultivation

2. Marketing: sales, publicity, customer service

3. Farm events (guest reception)

4. Farm construction and more

Guidance the farm can offer an intern: Training in a range of ecological agriculture techniques—Natural Farming, permaculture, biological composting, machinery repair, farm construction and other practical skills—as well as lessons learned in farm operations and management.

03 Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm Inner Mongolia · Alxa

The farm covers 1,000 mu in total, with 160 mu under cultivation. The main crops are muskmelons and millet; the farm also cooperates in Alxa to produce ecological European plums, desert lamb and other products.

E c o l o g i c a l F a r m M e n t o r |M a Y a n w e i

Founder of Alxa Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm and Zhixing Study Tours, Ma Yanwei holds a master’s degree in ecology from Beijing Normal University. He joined the Alxa SEE Eco-Association in 2005; after leaving that post he settled in Alxa and set up Zhiliangtian Ecological Farm.

 

 

 

 

What we hope for in an intern: An interest in farm life and work, someone reliable, capable and eager to learn. We value initiative—eyes that take in not just what is inspiring but what needs doing, and hands that step forward without being asked. One more thing: farm work is no place for fussiness!

Work an intern can take part in at the farm:

1. Day-to-day production

2. Preparing and leading the farm’s nature-education activities

3. Product design, short-video production, marketing and more

4. Day-to-day farm maintenance and logistics

Guidance the farm can offer an intern:

1. Ecological agriculture cultivation on the farm

2. Farm management and operations

3. Design and organisation of nature-education study-tour activities

04 Yuefeng Island Organic Farm Jiangsu · Kunshan

Yuefeng Island Organic Farm was invested in and established by the Kunshan Urban Investment Group and has been designated a National-level Ecological Farm. Covering 230 mu, it began operations in 2010 on the shores of Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan. Using land-friendly organic cultivation methods to protect water sources, the farm places soil health at its core and puts organic principles into practice. Through landscape-garden design techniques, the farm integrates agriculture with landscape, building a well-developed aquatic ecosystem and a rich terrestrial ecosystem that together create a composite landscape of farmland, vegetable plots, wetlands, woodland and distinctive built areas. With farming as its foundation, Yuefeng Island digs deep into the ecological value of agriculture, systematically documents the local farming culture, compiles educational materials on farming and the countryside, and runs farming-education activities in a wide variety of formats.

E c o l o g i c a l F a r m M e n t o r | T a n g Y a o z h o n g

Tang Yaozhong is the production-technology director at Yuefeng Island Organic Farm and a local organic-rice specialist. He oversees production and day-to-day operations across the entire site, leading his team to produce and manage strictly to organic production standards while actively exploring sustainable ecological agriculture. He also liaises with research institutes both within and outside the province, collecting and conserving germplasm resources of locally distinctive varieties—such as Suyu glutinous rice, Yaxue glutinous rice (a heritage dark rice) and local taro—selecting varieties suited to local cultivation, promotion and application. On the farm he has designed edible landscapes that teach through play, works with local schools and parent-and-child families, and helps develop food-and-farming science-popularisation courses.

 

 

What we hope for in an intern: We hope young people will get involved in the farm’s various research projects and help sort through its cultivation and management experience. We also hope to build up talent reserves for the farm’s future development. We are looking for interns with a strong sense of curiosity and a spirit of exploration, who are grounded and willing to do the work.

Work an intern can take part in at the farm: Cultivation and experimental research (growing and documenting heritage varieties).

Guidance the farm can offer an intern:

1. Agricultural production and farm management

2. Guidance on soil improvement, heritage variety conservation, biodiversity and other experimental and research work

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05 Lüwo Farm Shaanxi · Xianyang

Lüwo Farm sits in the heart of the Guanzhong Plain in Shaanxi, beside the Zhengguo Canal. Founded by Da Hei in 2014, it puts Australian biodynamic farming into practice. Its distinguishing feature is an adherence to the principle that “the highest form of work is to treat what has not yet become ill”: the farm grounds everything in restoring and strengthening soil vitality, using soil-activation formulas made from wholly natural materials, diverse green manure, and, drawing on its own reading of the farm’s particular character, developing and deploying suitable conservation-tillage implements and other systematic methods to achieve healthy soil, resilient crops, reduced labour and a lighter footprint on the environment.

E c o l o g i c a l F a r m M e n t o r |D a H e i

Da Hei founded Lüwo Farm in 2014. He studied and practised biodynamic farming, established a local biodynamic farming association and teaches as an instructor. He has also redesigned a substantial amount of farm machinery so that it does no harm to soil structure and is better suited to local conditions.

 

 

 

What we hope for in an intern: We hope the farm will become a social enterprise that takes part in cultivating the ecological farmers of the future—developing talent for the ecological sector.  We want interns who genuinely want to get their hands on the concrete work of agriculture and related fields. People on the front line of production are the scarcest resource, and work rooted in actual field production is what most helps everything else on the farm come together.

Work an intern can take part in at the farm: Interns participate in every aspect of the farm’s operation, because a farm is a whole; it cannot be experienced in fragments. If you are here to learn, you should learn in full.

Guidance the farm can offer an intern: From theoretical understanding and mindset to every aspect of practical work, including product development and sales—there is no field we cannot explore together.

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06 Liangliang Family Farm Sichuan · Chengdu

Founded in 2013 on 30 mu (approximately 2 hectares) of land, the farm grows mainly small yellow ginger, along with a variety of vegetables including carrots, wheat, and grain-and-oil crops (in rotation between vegetables, grain and oil crops, and green manure). It hosts farming-and-food education programmes, living camps, summer camps and other farm activities. Liangliang Family Farm is a family farm rooted in its village, bringing rural families together, practising land-friendly farming, and building an ecological community (Niujiaoyan Living Village), with many connections and interactions with the village in which it sits.

E c o l o g i c a l F a r m M e n t o r |T a n g L i a n g

Born after 1985, Tang Liang is the head of Liangliang Family Farm. He graduated from Southwest University in 2008 with a degree in biological sciences and went on to work at a technology company in Chongqing. From 2011 to 2013 he interned at Little Donkey Community Farm and Share Harvest Ecological Farm for two years. In 2013 he returned to his hometown to set up Liangliang Family Farm (the Tang Family Liangliang Farm), practising land-friendly farming, bringing rural families together, and exploring a rural way of life closer to the essence of living. In 2020, becoming a father, he hopes that through his own hands he can create a home full of vitality for his child and explore the building of a local ecological community and a future living village.

 

 

What we hope for in an intern: Someone who loves ecological agriculture and rural life, or genuinely wants to understand them—someone who works, lives and learns with initiative and steadiness, not someone who simply pops in for a brief, superficial taste. You should be able to take part in basic farming activities, cook for yourself (or at least be willing to have a go), possess a fundamental capacity for learning, work cooperatively with the farm and community staff to get the work done, and leave at the end of your placement feeling it was well worth the trip.

Work an intern can take part in at the farm: Production and cultivation, marketing (sales), communications and outreach, assisting with farm events, and community-building at Niujiaoyan Living Village, among other tasks. (Note: at a family farm or community like this, you will not be confined to a single role; you are likely to take on a variety of tasks, including practical life skills.)

Guidance the farm can offer an intern: Ecological agriculture production techniques, farm operations and management, family development, and ecovillage building / community-building.

* Liangliang Family Farm has also launched the Rural Life Partnership Programme, and you are welcome to take part in this way too. A Rural Life Partner enjoys greater freedom than an intern; you pay for your basic food and accommodation, and you get to experience rural life and rural work at a relatively low cost.

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07 Xiqing Farm Beijing

Xiqing Farm was established in August 2015 and grows strawberries and a range of seasonal vegetables. Xiqing’s growing philosophy is to use quality soil to produce high-quality produce. Fertiliser is mainly green manure, supplemented by plant-based compost. Over four years we have built a basic ecosystem on the farm, and the species diversity within that system continues to grow.

E c o l o g i c a l F a r m M e n t o r |W a n g X i n

Born after 1985, Wang Xin graduated from the Beijing University of Agriculture with a specialisation in landscape plants. He has been researching ecological agriculture since 2011, hoping to grow a healthy, organic life from good soil.

 

 

 

 

What we hope for in an intern: We should be driving an increase in the number of ecological smallholders and family farms. Only when more smallholders are genuinely willing to farm with care will the industry’s situation—and the broader state of the sector—gradually improve. Advancing this way of thinking requires people who are prepared to take it on. Honestly, I have always wanted to recruit interns—people who love ecological growing and can truly commit themselves wholeheartedly. You could go to a farming-technique school in Japan and pay tuition, with no guarantee of admission. Who wants to learn from me? Come along.

Work an intern can take part in at the farm: Cultivation, farm management, marketing (publicity)

Guidance the farm can offer an intern: Developing the observational, practical and judgemental skills of prospective ecological farmers—for example, how to observe soil, plants, insects and weather, and how to understand what you see.

– Registration Link –   

If you are ready to take on the role of intern, please fill in the registration form below. We ask that you think it over carefully, fill it in earnestly, and be sure you are willing to commit the time the programme requires.

Intern Registration Form Link

If your ecological farm would like to join our intern programme and host interns, please fill in the form below.

Farm Registration Form Link

Application deadline: 6 March

* If you submit an application and pass the initial screening, we will contact you by phone or email within two weeks of your form submission—please keep an eye out for it. If you have not heard from us by 7 March, you have not been selected at this stage. We appreciate your understanding.

In 2024, let us meet in the fields!

Coordinated by: Mei Ying

Edited by: Tianle

Images: Previous interns, Farm mentors, Foodthink